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If your land has wild growth on it, and you want to reclaim the land for a garden or to make a larger yard area, you may need to cut down some trees. If the trees are still fairly young, you might be able to cut the trees down yourself. Whether you cut down the trees yourself or hire a tree service to get it done, you'll still have to contend with the tree stumps. Here's why you may want to use a rented stump grinder and remove the stumps yourself, and some tips for renting a stump grinder.

Why Grinding Is The Best Way To Remove Stumps

You could dig out a tree stump or pull it out with a tractor, but the easiest way to get tree stumps out of your yard is to grind them away. Grinding eliminates the need to dispose of large chunks of wood, and it's less labor-intensive than chopping up the trunk with an ax and digging it out of the ground.

What To Consider When Renting A Stump Grinder

Stump grinders come in different sizes. The larger ones work faster, but the smaller ones are easier to manage. The small size is similar to a push lawnmower. It's small enough to fit in a van or SUV. Larger sizes may require renting a trailer to get the grinder home. One way to tell what size you need is to determine the width of the largest stump and the depth you want to grind it to. Then when you rent a grinder, look for one capable of grinding the tallest stump into the ground as low as you want to go.

How To Use A Rented Stump Grinder

First, have utility lines marked on your property. This is always required before you start digging, and if you know where the lines are located, you can avoid them and avoid damaging the lines. Next, use a chainsaw and shorten the stumps as much as possible. It's quicker to slice through a tree trunk with a chainsaw than a grinder, so making the stump as short as possible will shorten the grinding time.

Be sure to wear protective equipment before you start grinding because wood chips could fly anywhere. You'll want to protect your skin, eyes, and ears. To use the grinder, you position the grinding blade on top of the stump and keep the blade in constant motion back and forth. This gradually shaves away the trunk until it's gone and you're left with a hole and small wood chips.

When you're finished grinding away the trunk several inches under the ground, you'll need to fill the hole with the chips and soil so you can plant grass in the area. If the trunks are small, you can probably do several in a single day. The smaller the trunks, the quicker the work goes.

When you have a lot of tree trunks to grind away, compare the cost of a stump grinder rental and the cost of paying for professional stump grinding. You'll probably find it costs less to grind the stumps yourself, and if you're handy with tools, the work is not too difficult to do with a rented grinder that's easy to use.

For more information about stump grinder rentals, contact a company like Johnson County Equipment Rental.